Living Under the Same Roof
by Bishiehuggler
Summary: Slightly AU. Yaoi. SasuNaru. At the age of nineteen, the guys decide to move into the Uchiha house for various reasons. Even though they've set aside their rivalry and have become great friends, it's still going to be tough to cope...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Itachi would show up a lot more...D  
  
Legend:  
  
"..."=Speaking '...'=Thoughts _..._=Italics  
  
Living Under the Same Roof  
  
Prologue  
  
As boys, the two were rivals. For a short time they even hated each other with a passion. That almost seemed like a millenia ago. They had grown and matured, both physically and mentally, supporting each other time and again, making a strange, but effective, team. They were polar opposites, but inseperable. They would spit insults back and forth, fight and argue, but they were codependant.   
  
Sasuke, the taller of the two, was introverted to the point of being antisocial. He was the perceptive one, always keeping them out of trouble. Naruto was much more flamboyant, always cheerful, his personality as bright as the unruly mop of blond hair atop his head.  
  
Naruto's outgoing attitude always brought a smile to the young Uchiha's lips, and he was never lonely around the boy. Even if he was, Naruto was always by his side, comforting him, because he understood what it was like to be without a family. For no one to greet you in the morning To wake up to an empty home.  
  
It was on one of these occasions that Naruto suggested a solution.   
  
"Why don't we just wake up to each other?"  
  
A blush crawled across Sasuke's face and he started to sputter. Surely he didn't mean...?  
  
"Baka!" the blond snapped, catching on to what Sasuke was thinking, "I meant we should share an apartment togther!"   
  
Sasuke's expression turned thoughtful as he mulled over the idea. He could stay near Naruto, he wouldn't be alone anymore and economically, it would cut living expenses in half. He wasn't able to collect benefits from being an orphan anymore. Those funds had stopped when he became a legal adult, at eighteen. [1]  
  
But what would it be like to live around Konoha's loudest ninja all day and night? Did that mean he would get no sleep? Well, there was never any harm in trying...  
  
He glanced over at his fidgety friend. "Sounds good," he answered. "But couldn't you just move into my house?"  
  
Naruto squinted his eyes, and Sasuke knew he was thinking. "It is much bigger..." he said after a few moments. "Plus, I can put all my stuff there!"  
  
Sasuke blinked. "I doubt even a grain silo can hold all the crap you've got." It was the truth, too. Naruto had the habit of saving everything he owned. The boy still had his old orange jumpsuit from his genin days. That had been seven years ago.   
  
"I still don't understand what you have against my stuff..." Naruto grumbled.   
  
"Idiot, I don't have anything against it-"  
  
Without allowing Sasuke to finish, he looked up and flashed a toothy grin, jumping from the park bench they were sitting on. "It's settled then! I'm gonna go get everything packed up!" He grabbed the dark-haired young man into a hug, then walked away with a bounce in his step.  
  
Sasuke watched the reatreating figure of his friend, all thoughts of protest banished from his mind. The warmth of the other boy's body made his skin tingle, and his breath hitched when he smelt the familiar herbal shampoo that Naruto regularly used.  
  
It was only then that he remembered the reason he _shouldn't_ be living with Naruto. He was gay, and never told the blond about it. Selfdoubt and fear buzzed through his head. What if Naruto found out? How would he react? And the most important question: What the hell had he gotten himself into?  
  
****  
  
[1] Naruto couldn't live in his apartment for free, right? And Sasuke couldn't live off of whatever money he got from his parents. They'd be incapable of working that young, too. I thought there might be some kind of fund to help orphans out. Sort of like welfare or something. (Although I doubt Sasuke would accept it if he had the choice, given his pride and all. :P)  
  
Like it? Hate it? Don't be afraid to tell me. Please excuse the confusingness or spelling mistakes. I never notice that stuff until it's too late. And I'm sorry if they're OOC...and the fact that they _aren't_ rivals. It'd be a LOT harder for this story to be possible if they were. ;  
  
I could really use some constructive criticism. No flames please! They can scar a person mentally.  
  
I'm taking a pretty big step in actually uploading this. Usually I have piles of story ideas in my head, and am too shy to get them up. ^^;;; 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I _did_ own Naruto, they'd all be 15 years old and not afraid to swing both ways. ;) I also don't own Inuyasha, or the doujinshi mentioned.  
  
37 REVIEWS?! *falls over* Man, that's insane! So I'd like to hug and thank all of you for the encouragement! *big glomps to all* I tried to keep the responses to questions/comments short, but it turns out that 'short' means 15 or so replies. My poor fingers! XD   
  
Aera-chan: *slaps a big bandage on you and huggles Toad* Poor frog. :P Mind if I keep him? I love the lil' squishie things. And try not to kill yourself, because you wouldn't be able to read fanfics anymore. Unless you come back as a ghost and haunt the internet...O.o;  
  
Crayon One: Hey, I like that jumpsuit! Actually, only the fur on the collar of the jacket. :P Would a black shirt and darker orange pants not make you cringe so much? And don't worry, I'm not the type of person to demand reviews. Either someone likes it or they don't. It's their opinion.  
  
midd: Sorry about that. It's difficult for me to write long chapters. It always gets akward trying to find ideas to continue, once I've got the main idea down. And don't worry, I can juggle homework and fic writing at the same time. :P  
  
MiakaKiller: Introverted means "quiet and shy." Anti-social means "Hostile to or disruptive of the established social order." *huggles www.dictionary.reference.com for the definitions* It's not that Sasuke lashes out at anyone... He just doesn't like talking to people he doesn't really know. O_o;  
  
Pinky-Cat: Naruto hugged him because they're like brothers! Err...bad excuse, ne? He's not gay yet, though. Or at least doesn't want to admit it. ;)  
  
Cari Starfire: Smoking crack? O_o Maybe you should steal it and replace it with sugar or something...Or would that make it worse? Since Naruto had so much junk in his room at 12, I thought he might never clean up and over 7 years time, it just kinda...filled up his room. (And the ramen cups he had at 12 are at the bottom of the pile. XD)  
  
Rina Starfire: English is really my first language. I don't know where you got it as my second. I take French as a second language, too. It's pretty tough, ne? x.x;  
  
firedraygon97: Nice to see a familiar face. ^.^ I didn't think Sasuke's thoughts were too dirty. They'll get worse. Maybe I should up the rating? D  
  
JadeTiger: You're right. I should try being more courageous! (I make it sound like such a big deal. XD) *glomps* Thanks for the compliments!  
  
Insomnia Productions: You should upload your stories more, too. You're an excellent writer. One of my favourites. Electricity out only in your room? Sounds fishy. ;  
  
Ladyshumon: It made perfect sense. Actually, the first thing I thought of was a shower scene. Expect to see it as the opening of the next chapter! XD  
  
Ithil: Sakura-chan's in this chapter. I kinda forgot to include her in the idea of the story...Ehehe. I'll have to give her a big part, though. She's so cool. ^^;;;  
  
new dragon18: Dragons! *glomps* Err...*backs away from assasin people* o.o; No, I need my life to update!  
  
Japime gurl: I always end up staying up really late to read fics, too. They're addictive, ne? Sasuke's mind'll get dirtier. (He was hanging around with Kakashi all these years. It had to rub off on him at least a little bit. XD)  
  
WARNINGS: Sasuke's thoughts, shounen-ai/yaoi, an almost Mary-Sue girlfriend (who will be gone by the next chapter), Kikyou bashing.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Living Under the Same Roof  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Aw, look at that!" Sakura cried as she flopped on her queen-sized bed. "Miroku's grabbing Inuyasha's ass to see if he has a tail!" She turned the recently bought doujinshi slightly, pointing to a picture. Sure enough, a very shocked Inu Yasha was being groped by the lecherous priest. "I think they'd make the greatest couple."  
  
"No, I like Inuyasha and Kikyou better." Was the calm statement from Sasuke. He had run to the pink-haired girl as soon as he realized his mistake, and was now sitting comfortably beside her. He had found her reading the doujinshi, and he was certain that she wouldn't pay attention to anything else until she was finished reading it. He stretched out and flopped down onto the bed, staring at her white ceiling.  
  
"Kikyou sucks. Kagome is so much better." Was the belated reply. Sasuke guessed it took her a while to register the comment. If anyone knew Sakura well, they would know she hated Kikyou with a passion.  
  
"Why? They're the same person." He could lure her in with this statement for sure.  
  
"Are you kidding?! Kikyou's a pile of dust!" Sakura shouted, tossing her doujinshi to the side. "Kagome's flesh and blood. She has a heart while Kikyou is always hurting Inuyasha. I still don't understand how anyone can love someone when all they do is cause them pain." At this, Sasuke grunted.  
  
"Maybe they think that they could get the other to fall in love with them if they try hard enough?"  
  
"Maybe..." Sakura eyed him. Sasuke wasn't the philosophical type and he never would delve into the psychology of relationships. This was a very unexpected statement coming from him. A goofy grin spread from the girl's ear to her other ear. "Are you angsting over someone? Like in those romance novels?"   
  
"No!" He huffed quickly. He didn't want to give the wrong impression. Saying he liked a guy would change Sakura from a sweet, abeit obsessive, fangirl to a crazed matchmaker in seconds. "It's just that I have a problem." He glanced over to see that he had Sakura's full attention. "You see, Naruto's going to move in with me-"   
  
Sakura gasped. "I thought Naruto was only interested in girls!"  
  
"He is!" Sasuke growled for silence, and the pink-haired teen promptly shut her mouth. Why wouldn't anyone just hear him out? "As I was saying: Naruto is moving in with me, but he still doesn't know I'm gay. Now I need to convince him to stay in his apartment."  
  
"I can't believe he hasn't figured it out yet. It's so obvious..." Sakura's red painted lips turned to a pout as she lay down beside the troubled boy. "Why don't you just tell him? It couldn't do any harm."  
  
"I couldn't do that. He'd hate me," came the reply, a note of finality carried in the tone.  
  
"Now you're just being paranoid. He's never been homophobic, and I seriously doubt he'll start because you admitted that you like guys."   
  
Sasuke snorted his stubborn refusal and rolled away from her. Even if Naruto _wasn't_ disgusted, there would still be some awkwardness between them. How would any sane person take it if the friend they confided all their secrets to, bathed in the public bathouse with and slept next to on missions; came up to them and admitted that there was a possibility they could be attracted to them? Sasuke could confirm that he wasn't interested in Naruto, but that could even make things worse, in some weird and twisted way.   
  
He came to the conclusion that Sakura wasn't much help, and he was stuck doing this alone. He was convinced that her being a fangirl had made her opinion biased, and his admittance to Naruto would only ruin their friendship. He could still try to dissuade the blond into moving in with him, but the boy was so single-minded that he probably wouldn't even be able to mention the idea. The best thing he could do was live with him and hope for the best.  
  
Sakura poked him hard in the back, effectively pushing him off the bed. "Stop thinking so much about it! You'll be fine." She glanced at the clock and smirked. "It's pretty late. I suggest you go home and _clean up your house_ before Naruto comes."  
  
The Uchiha caught the emphasis on the girl's voice. Clean up his house? His house was perfectly clean. In fact, Naruto would always comment on how freaky it looked... "Oh Kami-sama," Sasuke muttered under his breath. He had forgotten his room. Damn those stupid fangirls for getting him interested in homosexual couples. Among his large collection of manga volumes, he had FAKE and other yaoi and yuri in miscellanious places. If that didn't scream 'I'm gay!' to Naruto, well, then the blond was denser than he thought.   
  
He shouted a quick 'good-bye' to Sakura and dashed halfway across town to his house in less than fifteen minutes, scrambling on the slippery autumn leaves and nearly losing his balance several times. Unlocking the door, the boy ran up to his room. He grabbed the graphic novels and stuffed them into a large blue chest, which also held the various comics, manga and doujinshi, of all kinds, that he collected. He then shoved the chest back under his navy blue quilted bed.   
  
That done, he had nothing to keep himself busy with until Naruto came with all his belongings. The dark-haired boy listlessly gazed about his room in the fading light. Near the door was his dresser, and a small stack of scrolls leaning up against it. A small, circular mirror was hanging in the corner. He never really used the mirror, but it was nice to check himself over before a hot date. The whole room was pretty orderly. Maybe because he never used it for anything other than sleep. He was usually out training, with Naruto, hanging out with Sakura or being harassed by those crazy fangirls. 'Naruto is right, I guess,' came the indecisive thought. 'I really do need to let things get a bit messy.'   
  
He was about to drift off from boredom, until a loud, relentless banging nearly brought the roof down. 'That would be Naruto,' Sasuke sighed apprehensively. 'Time to go and meet my doom.'   
  
Trudging downstairs and opening the door, he was met by a brilliant smile. Dammit, he couldn't stay mad at Naruto when he looked like that!   
  
"Hey Sasuke!" The blond greeted and picked up three of his large duffel bags.  
  
"Here, let me get some of those." The dark-haired boy grabbed one. He then stiffened as he caught sight of the familiar locks of long brown hair. It was Rika, Naruto's current girlfriend. He must have convinced her to help carry his luggage.  
  
"Hi, Sasuke-kun~!" She purred, flashing a half-smirk. It was well known that the girl had tried to pick up Sasuke more than once over the years, and had a very long history of having a different guy attached to her arm every week. Of course, she had renounced that all for Naruto and they had been going out for six months with no real sign of trouble, but Sasuke still didn't trust her.  
  
"Oi, baka! Quit staring at my girlfriend!" Naruto grabbed the other boy by the arm and dragged him into the living room.   
  
"I was not!"  
  
"Boys, don't fight over me!" Was the hyper interruption from Rika.  
  
"Sorry, I just had do defend my Princess!" Naruto shot a chivalrous grin. Sasuke just snorted and pretended he didn't care.  
  
"I think that you should go, Rika-san. It's almost dark out and we still have to unpack."  
  
"Oh fine. But can I get a kiss from my knight in shining armor first?" She pleaded. Naruto swept her into a hug and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss quickly deepened, making Sasuke turn away in disgust. They were just...oozing all over each other! He averted his gaze to the various bags and began carrying them up the stairs.  
  
"Hey! You shouldn't be doing all the work!" Naruto's voice rang to the second floor, followed by loud thumps as the boy jumped every other step to the upper hallway. Rika must have finished drooling all over the blond and left. Seeing his friend's scowl, Naruto's expression went from hyper to puzzled. He dropped the bags and looked at Sasuke for a moment, until what looked like realization kicked in. "I'm so sorry! I forgot you've had never had a girlfriend!"  
  
'That...dense...idiot.' Sasuke thought, but quickly put on a small smile and led Naruto to his new room. It had originally been his brother's, but now that the whole 'ordeal' was over and done with, the last surviving Uchiha had decided it was time to move on. It was always a sensitive subject, and he didn't enjoy speaking of it, even back then. Maybe that's why Naruto didn't protest about the choice.  
  
"You know, if you ever want me to, I could set you up on a date," Naruto whispered a few minutes later.  
  
'Is that what he was thinking?' The blond must have taken his silence as him still being bitter. "N-no, it's alright. I can find someone on my own." Sasuke didn't mention his distaste for watching the other boy and Rika sticking their tongues down each other's throats. He was sure that would offend his friend.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
They dragged the bags into the room and unpacked in silence. after finishing with one bag, Sasuke another and opened it, a wry smile playing on his face. The duffel was filled with Naruto's undergarments. 'He doesn't have bad taste.' was the first thought that entered the boy's mind. The folded boxers were in various rich, dark colours. Including a very sexy pair of black ones with a crimson dragon pattern on them. Feeling the material, he found that they were silk. 'Wow, I'll have to ask where he bought these later,' Sasuke decided as he unfolded them and stared.   
  
He felt a sharp tug and the boxers were ripped from his grasp. Naruto shoved then into the drawer, blushing. "Ehehe..."  
  
Sasuke smirked at the blond, who's face was red enough to be mistaken for a tomato. He turned back to the duffel, and noticed something was shaking under a pair of socks. 'What the-?' he removed the socks, and picked up the small, black object. Seeing it clearly for the first time, it was his turn to go beet red. "Naruto...!" 'He uses one of these?!'  
  
Seeing the item in question, Naruto began coughing loudly and grabbed it out of Sasuke's hands. "Th-that's Rika's! She must have dropped it!"  
  
Silence fell upon the two boys. The first one to react was Sasuke, screaming "Oh God! I touched it!" at the top of his lungs and hurtling down the hall to the bathroom, to disinfect his hands. Naruto quietly stashed the article in the drawer of his dresser.  
  
"Dobe! I'm gonna be scarred for life!" Sasuke's shouts had a hollow quality from the ceramic tiled walls. He only called Naruto 'dobe' when he was really angry, so he could almost feel the boy cringe. "I'll never be able to wash the mental picture of you and Rika from my mind! Eeeww! Rika naked!"  
  
Naruto leaned against the threshold of the doorway and snickered. "So does that mean you wouldn't mind seeing _me_ naked?"  
  
Sasuke choked. A sly little image crept into his mind's eye, and he could feel a few warm drops of liquid run down the inside of his nose. He quickly pressed his face into his sleeve and growled at his friend, hoping he could convince the boy that he wasn't interested, and didn't find the jest amusing.   
  
Naruto waved his hands in a dismissive manner. "Okay, okay! I was just joking! You don't have to look at me like that!"  
  
Watching his friend turn his back and walk into his new room, Sasuke inhaled and exhaled deeply. 'Damn Naruto and his stupid wisecracks...It'd be a miracle if I could survive even _three weeks_ with him...'  
  
Tbc...  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Bleck, This was pretty sloppy of me, and I tried to smooth it out as best I could, but it never flowed right after I made some drastic changes. I had originally written a more angsty ending, where Naruto setting Sasuke up on a date would be a deeper conversation. But then I decided that if it's going to be a romance, than I'd rather keep it humorous and light instead. And in case you guys didn't notice, I bumped up the rating, since the reference of 'toys' were involved in this chapter...;;;  
  
Just to clear things up: Sasuke _doesn't_ have a crush on Naruto. Well, not until the next chapter, anyways. Naruto isn't gay, or at least doesn't show it. Rika's gonna be gone, so don't kill me just yet. *cowers in fear* And the Kikyou bashing was just for conversation, and I didn't mean any personal offense to those who like her. Oh, and the doujinshi Sakura was talking about at the start is and actual doujinshi.  
  
So if you want to; you can read, review, and don't be afraid to point out ways I can change this chapter or improve. Thank you! 


	3. Chapter 2

I'm so sorry for this chapter taking an extra week, but I had a gigantic project. Be happy! Rika goes today! ^_^; She wasn't a very major character, so she's not even going to say anything in this chapter.   
  
Note: Yes, the black "thing" was a vibrator. I'm sorry to all I've scarred with that. XP  
  
*blushies again* Thanks so much for reviewing! *glomps everyone* I'm going to keep the responses to a minimum again. Sorry. ^^;  
  
Beta 4 Hire: Now that I've updated, you have to update! *pokepoke* Please?  
  
Pinky-Cat: Heheh, I do know what you mean, but I do not wish to disclose any information about Rika and Naruto's private life. Let's just say Naruto's...imaginitive. :P   
  
Ishida Kat: Yeah, I really hate when they make Sakura a bitch, too. She's really cool! She deserves a good reputation!  
  
myth: Well, it seems pretty unrealistic that Naruto would be the one and only person that Sasuke would have gone out with, ne? Unfortunately, to keep this story a bit short, I'm not going to talk about any past relationships. I never thought about Naruto's reaction about Sakura knowing before he did, but it's a great idea, so I'm throwing it in next chapter.  
  
Ryouki Reido: Which words did I get wrong in the last chapter? Maybe you can point them out to me? I've never been good at remembering correct meanings in other languages. _O  
  
Ladyschumon: Shower scene time! ^_^ I hope you like it! *watches Rika bleeding on the ground* o.o;;;   
  
TheSeer: Actually, I do like yuri, and I felt it wouldn't be fair if he only liked yaoi. I guess I find it a bit hypocritical if someone only likes one type of romance, but bashes the others. Thanks for the information, it might help me when writing other fanfics later on. ^^  
  
Ginji-ban-chan: *places her back in her chair* XP I'm glad you find it funny!   
  
Ithil: I had been reading way too much angst as well, and I think that it affected me enough to write that seperate ending.   
  
Bloody Noses and Teary Eyes  
  
They say the most important rule of love is 'never fall for your best friend.' Sasuke had just broken that rule, and right now, was punishing himself by banging his head on a nightstand. 'Dammit, dammit, dammit!' Sasuke mentally cursed as the pain in his head grew from impacting repeatedly with the hard wooden surface. He rolled back onto the bed and sighed. Now, not only was he living with a guy that didn't know he was gay, he also lived with a guy he had a crush on.  
  
It was a hectic morning, both of them having seperate missions that required them to leave early. Unfortunately, they woke up so late that the sun was already peeking over the horizon. 'It was all Naruto's fault,' Sasuke convinced himself. The blond didn't sleep too well, and would toss noisily about, depriving Sasuke of his own rest. They rushed around the kitchen, occasionally banging into each other, scrambling for whatever edible food they could get their hands on. Finding all the cupboards empty, they ended up settling for meal of pickles and some green-tinged udon at the back of the fridge. Afterwards, Sasuke ran into his bedroom to get changed while Naruto took a shower.  
  
The dark-haired boy knew that the other teen took forever, and there was only one bathroom in the house. He desperately needed to brush his teeth, so after waiting and extra twenty minutes for the blond to finish, he got fed up and burst through the door. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the black marble floor, his clothes soaking up water like a sponge.   
  
Apparently, Naruto had forgotten to pull the shower curtain into the tub, allowing the warm water to slowly pool onto the floor. Sasuke had stomped in and slipped in the puddle, crashing in a heap to the floor, banging his back pretty badly. The water was hastily turned off and the shower curtain wrenched aside to reveal a very concerned -and naked- Naruto.  
  
"Sasuke! Are you alright?" His face creased with even more worry as Sasuke only responded with a soft groan. He knelt down beside the young Uchiha. The said boy did his best to keep his eyes from wandering over the body looming over him, but he lost his self-control as soon as Naruto's strong hands held his shoulders and the boy shifted closer, most likely to check for injuries.   
  
His eyes quickly took a glance, but remained fixed on the blond's well-built body, which was tanned a nice golden brown. He had always knew that Naruto was good looking under the clothes that he wore, but he never gave it a second thought. Now he decided that his best friend was the sexiest damn thing he had ever saw. Droplets of water rolled from the boy's broad shoulders, over the curve of his flexible back, all the way down to his butt. Fantasies began to fill his head.  
  
His friend jumped back as if he had been burned. He quickly stood up, giving the dark-haired boy a full view, but Sasuke was too busy feeling ashamed to notice much. 'He's caught on for sure!' the boy reprimanded himself for ever lusting after him. 'Now he'll think I was checking him out on purpose, and won't want to talk to me anymore.'   
  
His eyes widened in confusion when the course material of a towel was pressed up against his face. "You're nose is bleeding." Naruto fretted. "Did you hit your head that hard? Maybe you burst a blood vessel or something..."  
  
'The idiot should have seduced enough men with his Sexy no Jutsu to know why I reacted the way I did.' Sasuke blushed heavily. 'He must be so focussed on me that he can't think straight-!' He immediately stopped that thought when he felt his shirt being unbuttoned. "Get off! Pervert!" He screamed and scrambled backwards until he bumped into the toilet.   
  
"Pervert?" Naruto cracked up, falling over onto his side, not caring about the cold water on the floor. "You're soaked, so I was just taking your shirt so you could dry off properly!" He shook the recently soaked towel he had gotten from the cupboard.  
  
"...Oh." He replied, and his friend burst into another fit of laughter. Sasuke wrinkled his nose and snorted, but smiled inwardly. 'At least he's happy, right? I love it when he laughs...' It was then that his affection for Naruto became obvious to him. He loved everything about Naruto: his crystalline blue eyes, his sense of humor, his boundless energy and even his very nice ass. Bad thoughts. He would get off that subject before it went anywhere.  
  
"Sasuke?! Are you awake in there?" the blond called, waving his arms. The other boy nodded slowly and Naruto got up and offered a hand to him. "Good. You just kinda zoned out there."  
  
"I'm okay!" Sasuke said quickly and averted his attention to the floor, away from the naked boy. From his vantage point...well, he could see a whole lot, and he really didn't want to be openly staring at a time like this. "You know...It'd be nice if you could get dressed." He snapped grumpily.   
  
Naruto blinked and gave him an impish grin, only now noticing that he wasn't clothed. He hastily grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. "Sorry," he mumbled in embarrassment and quickly left the room.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Even though both boys left extremely late, Sasuke managed to pull off his mission in a matter of hours, making him wonder if it was worth getting out of bed at all that day.  
  
A muffled slam of wood against wood brought the dazed Uchiha back to the present. The loud stomping of running footsteps put him on his guard, and he grabbed a kunai from his holster, which he had thrown beside his bed when he got home. The sounds stopped as abruptly as they started, puzzling the boy. With the silent expertise of any jounin, he crept down the stairs, only to have muted sobs reach his ears. He carefully stuffed the kunai back in his pocket and rounded the corner to the spacious living room. "Naruto..."  
  
The boy must have heard him, because he curled up into a tight ball against one of the forest green pillows, trying to bury himself in a corner of the couch. Sasuke called his name a few times, but if the blond acknowledged him, he didn't show it. Not one to lose his patience easily, the young Uchiha kneeled behind the couch and gently tangled his fingers into the messy, sunshine colored locks of his best friend. "Naruto, come on, it's okay. You can tell me."  
  
After a few moments of silence, Naruto rose to a sitting position on the couch. His face was stained red with tears, and his cheeks were flushed from running. His once welcoming blue eyes were bloodshot and only held a look accusing betrayal. Sasuke pulled his sleeve to wipe the boy's tear-stained face gently, coaxing him to explain. All he did was threw his arms around his friend and bawled into his shoulder. The young man was never great at comforting, so it had taken a long time to calm him down, worried that his wracking sobs would make him throw up. His breathing evened out into deep ragged gasps, and Sasuke half expected he had fallen asleep.   
  
"R...Rika..." The blond's voice was hoarse and rough. "She, and someone else..." Another collection of sobs shook the blond but the few words he spoke were enough for Sasuke to deduce that the girl had cheated on Naruto. He wasn't surprised at all. He drew slow circles around his friend's back and whispered assurances into his ear.  
  
"Shh...don't worry. She wasn't good enough. There's plenty of other people out there who'll take good care of you." 'Like me.' was something he longed to add. He tried to stop thinking along those lines. His feelings didn't matter right now. Naruto needed comfort, someone to fall back on. 'Then maybe he'll look at you differently,' a scheming little voice suggested.   
  
"But she was..."  
  
"Someone who didn't care for you as much as she let on."  
  
A few sniffles were given in response. "I guess so..." Silence dominated the pair for a long time. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Sasuke knew that the situation made a big impact on Naruto. He must have truely loved the girl, since he was never horribly affected by break ups in the past. But back then, they were almost always mutual. Him and his girlfriend would have fun, then call it quits if they didn't feel like they should be dating anymore. If there was a complication, Naruto would put on a grin and bear it, knowing that time would allow him to heal and things would get better. He was never actually cheated on before.  
  
Looking back on his life, Sasuke realized that it was Naruto who got him out of any rough spots in his relationships, by inderectly setting an example for him. It was another thing the boy loved about him. He just _had_ to help him now. He owed him at least that much.  
  
"Hey I know what'll cheer you up!" Sasuke plastered a strained, fake grin on his face. "We'll have a party! To take your mind off of things!" He waited in silence for a minute, then smirked successfully as a small smile made its way across Naruto's lips. It was definately the right thing to say. It was the boy's birthday in a few days, and he would be nineteen. Sasuke would have to start planning like mad, but if it was for Naruto, then he believed he could pull it off.  
  
"See, I told you that'd cheer you up. I'm always right."   
  
"Heh, yeah." the line was very uncharacteristic of Naruto, because the boy would have at least tried to deflate Sasuke's confidence in some way, but the light tone of his voice hinted of a quick recovery.  
  
"Good. Now let's go make dinner." Sasuke pushed his friend off of him, ignoring the selfish regret that he wasn't close to his crush anymore.  
  
"Ramen!" Naruto shouted and ran into the kitchen.   
  
Sasuke directed a lovesick smile at the boy's quickly retreating form. He was always one that could take anything, as long as he had a friend to back him up. Determination flowed through his veins, and the young man grabbed a small note pad to begin writing down people who were to be invited. This party would go perfectly, for Naruto's sake.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Yuck, mushy ending. -_- It was so damn hard to piece this together, and yeah, the next chapter will include his birthday party. Why is it late? Well, if some people can write Christmas fics in July, then I'm allowed to place Naruto's birthday a week after it really is. Rika's gone, without much of an explanaition, but I'd rather keep it vague. And for the OOC-ness: I'm sorry, I couldn't keep them IC and pull this off. Maybe next chapter, if I'm lucky.  
  
I'm sorry this chappie's crap, but I needed filler to set up the party and to put more words on the page. I'd've loved to extend the shower scene, but it was pretty difficult to write as it was. 


	4. Chapter 3

Argh, I didn't get the birthday party! *slams head on the keyboard* -_-# It was just so appropriate to end it the way I did. There's some shounen-ai moments, character development, and lots and lots of yaoi fangirls! ^^; I'll start writing the next chapter right away!  
  
Thanks for reviewing! *glomps everyone again*  
  
Morien Alexander: No, I don't think I'll include any missions. Everyone uses those, so I decided to be at least a bit different. ^^;;;  
  
MiakaKiller: I don't think they will be discussing yaoi couples much...Unless I can fit that in somewhere. It'd be quite interesting to see them debate over Inuyasha, Gundam Wing, Yugioh or some other popular anime.  
  
Anime Freak/Kichigai Ojousan: Since it is SasuNaru, and he had a girlfriend before, I'm pretty sure he will turn out bisexual...I think I just spoiled some of the story there. ^__^;;;  
  
firedraygon97: Actually, it would make a nice pic. ^.^ Maybe I could try drawing it...  
  
CrazyAce: Wow, I'm being worshipped! o_o; *gets writing*  
  
Beta 4 Hire: You are important! XP And I don't know about a lot of people, but I'm not perverted! Ok, well, maybe just a little... *total lie* I got this chapter up like I promised! So you can't whap me! Nyaha! D  
  
new dragon18: *looks at him on the ground* Err, I suggest you get some medication for that. ^^;;;  
  
Pinky-Cat: Well, now his b-day is at over a week past! But this is a fic, so I don't have to follow by the rules...I hope.   
  
Myth720: I doubt Rika'd be regretful about losing Naruto to Sasuke, but who knows, she could unexpectedly develop a conscience. x_x;  
  
Ladyschumon: Glad you liked it. ^^  
  
Ginji-ban-chan: #^^# Thank you for putting me on your favs list!  
  
*~*~* Seme and Uke *~*~*  
  
Sasuke was dead set on a perfect party, but decided that he'd never be able to pull it off, so he jogged down to Sakura's house and told her of his plight.  
  
"You know, I get the feeling you're only talking to me because you need my help. What a crappy friend you are!" was the first thing she said as she leaned back into the overstuffed orange couch. She had made them both a cup of coffee and now they were sitting in the living room under seperate blankets, because they were chilled to the bone from talking outside. Seeing the flat look on her friend's face, she flailed her arms and cried "I was just joking!"   
  
"Ha...ha." he growled out, and the pink-haired girl narrowed her eyes. She bent closer to Sasuke, who snorted and backed away.  
  
"There's something different about you..." she pulled the boy by the chin and moved his face from side to side. Her eyes lit up with recognition. "I know! You're now madly in love with Naruto and you want to have hot, passionate sex with him!" she laughed out loud, but quickly stopped when she didn't hear what was supposed to be his heated denial, or stuttering protests. In fact, when Sakura's eyes met his, he just blushed and glanced away.   
  
"How did you learn that just by looking at my face?" he asked tentatively.  
  
She paused, her mouth gaping open like a fish. "I was only joking about that, too." Sasuke hacked out a cross between a strangled moan and a squeak, which ultimately sounded like a dying elephant. A long pause stretched between them.   
  
"...Does that mean you really _do_ want to have hot sex with him?"  
  
"I wouldn't put it that crudely..." Sasuke answered, shifting from one foot to the other. "I'd call it making love."  
  
She waved her hand dismissively. "They're both synonyms for the same thing. As long as I get pictures, I don't care."   
  
"Pictures?!" the dark-haired boy yelled, eyes wide. "What kind of sicko are you?!"  
  
"A yaoi fangirl." Sakura gave him a smug, perverted smirk, which was very uncharacteristic of her. She grabbed the unexpecting Sasuke's hands. "Let's not go into detail about that. How goes your relationship? When did you guys admit it? Did you get any? Huh? Huh?"  
  
"What're you talking about? He still doesn't even know I'm gay!" the boy exclaimed in exasperation, and Sakura nearly fainted in shock. She pushed herself off the couch with great effort, and stumbled into the kitchen. Sasuke followed a few worried steps behind her, watching as she poured another mug of coffee and gulped it down, without any cream, milk or sugar. The dark-haired boy grimaced at the thought of the bitter taste rolling down his throat.   
  
Placing her cup onto the counter, she took a few deep breaths, holding in whatever she wanted to scream at him. Setting her mouth back to its regular, cheery smile, she grabbed her purple jacket from the coat rack. "Well then! I'll be back in a few hours, I just need to get some stuff." She tossed Sasuke's coat to him, and shoved him out the door. "You get home, and talk to Naruto about this. I'll come over when I'm ready. This'll be the best goddamn party Naruto will ever have, and if I play this right, you'll have him in the sack by midnight!" She cackled maniacally and ran down the street and out of sight, leaving a very dazed and bashful Sasuke behind.  
  
*~*~*  
  
True to her word, the pink-haired girl barged into the Uchiha home around midafternoon, along with almost fifty other girls carrying weird objects like wood, paint, tiles and a disco ball. Sasuke recognized them as the Yaoi Faction, which was formed when he came out of the closet with his fangirls. Four of these girls grabbed both him and Naruto by their shirt collars, and threw them out on the front steps. Of course, they just _had_ to throw Sasuke on top of Naruto, which resulted in plenty of embarassment for both boys. When the young Uchiha demanded the reason that all these people were here for just one birthday party, Sakura told him she had explained his 'situation' with the girls, and they agreed that they would be the ones doing all the work, leaving Sasuke to take Naruto 'out.'   
  
"Just don't come back until dinnertime!" Ino called light-heartedly and slammed the oak door in their faces.  
  
"Dammit, now what are we supposed to do today?" the blond complained. He stomped up and down the length of the lawn, stopping every few seconds to glare at the house.   
  
"Well, it's not like we had anything planned, now did we?" Sasuke quipped back. "And quit pacing, you're ruining the grass."  
  
Naruto pouted, "I did so! I wanted to watch my Gravitation episodes today!" the dark-haired boy jumped slightly in surprise, and his friend mistook it for interest. "Yeah, it's about these two guys: one's a writer and the other's trying to make it big as a singer. The writer disses the singer kid's lyrics, and they end up hating each other!"  
  
'Oh, brother.' "Who gave them to you?" Sasuke furrowed his brow in suspicion. This sounded like the work of...  
  
"Ino." Naruto answered, and Sasuke snorted a 'figures' under his breath. "It was weird. This afternoon, she just kinda walked up to me, shoved the videos in my hand and told me to watch them. Said they were really good."  
  
The older boy sighed, wondering if his groupies couldn't go any lower. Did they have no honor? Sasuke guessed that Ino must have heard his predicament directly from Sakura. She was a more aggressive person, and probably decided that she should take matters into her own hands. Her plan was a failure, though, because getting the blond to watch homosexual couples _wouldn't_ convince him to like men. Being gay was a little more complicated than that. "Naruto, that series isn't what you think it is." Naruto gave the boy a puzzled look. "It's shounen-ai, gay relationships. Shuichi, the singer, falls head-over-heels for the writer."  
  
The blond's face contorted into a mask of disdain, and Sasuke felt oddly lucky. Observing how Naruto reacted to yaoi would give the other a better grasp on how he would react to his sexuality. "Bah, that stuff's such stupid crap! Romance is never that ideal. What's the point of watching it?"  
  
The young Uchiha sank down onto a stone step to analyze what the boy said. It was gruff and full of malice, but he never objected yaoi outright. Romance? Did he hate all romance? Was it because of Rika? 'Well, there's no point in trying to figure him out.' Sasuke huffed in amusement. 'You could just ask him yourself and get a straight answer and not have him suspect a thing.' The boy realized that Naruto's extreme cluelessness came in handy sometimes. So he painted on a jesting grin and threw a pebble in his friend's general direction. "Does that mean you're not against yaoi?"  
  
The blond gave his trademark simper, scratching the back of his head. "Ummm...I like shounen-ai more...I think it's kind of cute." his cheeks pinked at the admission, waiting for Sasuke's reply. The onyx-eyed boy nodded sagely, but said nothing more. Motioning for Naruto to follow him, he jogged across the lawn and down the street. He only slowed to allow his friend to catch up. "Where are we going?"  
  
"To the manga shop. I hear they got a new shipment of doujinshi." He said as he crossed one of the residential streets, stepping onto a larger one that lead to the heart of Konoha. "Besides, we have four hours to waste. Might as well use them on doing stuff we enjoy."  
  
In the midst of waving at a few passerby's, Naruto snickered. "Heh, I guess you enjoy oggling the pictures of people making out. Burning time is just a good excuse." Sasuke smirked in reply, and Naruto punched him playfully on the shoulder. "Pervert."  
  
"Damn straight! You wouldn't believe half of the dirty thoughts that go through my head."  
  
Both boys laughed. "You'll have to tell me about some of them sometime," the blond joked. "and then I'll be the judge of that. I'm not too innocent, myself."  
  
"You are compared to me." Sasuke said without missing a beat. 'Naruto, if you knew about any of the dreams that have included you, you'd run for the hills.'  
  
They toned down the lewdness of their conversation as soon as they hit the main street, easily blending in with the many people in the marketplace. It was pretty crowded and noisy, with merchants peddling their wares, people chatting in front of stalls and children running about, whipping the fallen autumn leaves at each other. A crisp breeze weaved inbetween the buildings and citizens, making quite a few stop what they were doing to pull their jackets tighter around themselves. Sasuke hugged himself and shivered violently. He had forgotten to grab his jacket before being chucked outside, and all he was wearing were a pair of jeans and a black turtleneck, which the cold cut through like a knife. To the dark-haired boy's surprise, an arm was carelessly slung around his shoulders, and he was pulled into someone's body. He looked down to meet Naruto's clear blue eyes and his relaxed half-smile. Sasuke blushed and returned the smile, snuggling closer into the warm embrace and shyly putting an arm around his friend's waist.   
  
They walked around like that for quite some time, just gazing at different merchandise, haggling, buying a few things and joking around. They spent at least an hour in the manga store, reading comics until the owner booted them out, which made Naruto lose his temper and yell insults about the unfair way he was treating his customers. It was then that Sasuke detected the villagers' judgemental stares they shot at him and Naruto frequently. He became self-concious and began to push his friend's arm away until a hand caught his.   
  
"What idiots." Naruto grumbled. "You'd think they'd be a little more open-minded."  
  
"Yeah." Sasuke mumbled under his breath.   
  
"Don't worry! If anyone asks, you're my girlfriend, and we don't care what people say!" The fox-like grin was up on the blond's face, and he waved energetically at an elderly woman, who scrunched up her nose and hobbled away as fast as her shriveled old legs could carry her.  
  
Sasuke beamed with pride and love. Naruto was such a great guy. He'd never let anyone get the better of him, even if he had to lie and say his best friend was his girlfriend...Wait... "GIRLFRIEND?!" he roared and smacked the other boy upside his head.  
  
Naruto rubbed the bump on his skull, still in patient good humor. "Yeah, what did you expect? I may be shorter than you, but I'm still more ruggedly handsome and physically stronger than you are. That makes me seme." He grinned and a small sparkle flitted across his white teeth, resembling one of Gai-sensei's smiles.  
  
'Ew.' The young Uchiha shuddered, but regained his composure. No way was he going to be on the bottom! "So what? I'm smarter, hotter and have that sexy bedroom smirk down perfectly! That makes _me_ seme!"  
  
"Hell no! You're a pretty boy!"  
  
"At least I'm not naive!"  
  
"Me? Naive? Hah!"   
  
They continued to argue about their 'relationship' in the middle of the street, and many onlookers stopped to gape. The fight escalated to them flinging crude insults back and forth, making a few mortified parents grab their young children to cover their ears. It may have looked and sounded like the two 'lovers' were quarreling bitterly, but if a person took a close look at their eyes, they would see concealed laughter and friendship.  
  
"Oh my God! You guys, what are you doing?!" Sakura's voice shrilly cut though the shouts and the murmurs of the spectators. She and a handful of the Yaoi Faction were there, blinking in confusion at the two boys. "Ino told you guys to be back by dinnertime! It's late! You made us all worry!"  
  
Sure enough, the sky was streaked with the dying reds and oranges of sunset, and the first stars were gleaming in the sky. 'Time flies when you're having fun,' Sasuke thought wryly. He sighed, and faked his best puppy-eyed look. "We're so sorry, Sakura! We were just having _so_ much fun together and..." he trailed off and dug his foot into the ground, knowing he had gotten the desired effect on the pink-haired girl. She sniffled sympathetically, hugged him and they all began the large procession back to the house.  
  
"Hey, Sasuke?" the blond boy poked him to get his attention. He then simpered and blushed, curling his hands together and exclaimed in a singsong voice: "You know, I feel so bad about fighting with you!" His eyes filled with fake tears, "I'll be uke for you any day!"  
  
"Don't worry, Naruto-chan..." Sasuke sighed huskily and held his crush posessivley around the waist. "I'll go easy on you tonight..."  
  
Hearing that, all the fangirls, including Sakura, promptly squealed and fainted in delight.  
  
Naruto blinked in bewilderment, gazing at the sleeping bodies of females that littered the ground. "What was that all about?"  
  
*~*~*  
  
Nyrr...It wasn't all that funny. It's so hard to get the humor down right! Take pity on me. T_T; I was trying to make a parody of all us crazy fangirls, so I hope no one takes offense. ; And if anyone could give me suggestions for the party, it'd be really appreciated! So would criticism! Please R&R! 


End file.
